Tapping onteachers’ knowledge bases

of teachingin a learner-centric learning

environment 

FULBRIGHT DISTINGUISHED AWARD IN TEACHING ROGRAMME 2011

Michael Long Singapore

The quality of an education cannot exceed

the quality of its teachers.

~McKinsey Report, 2007

Introduction

Teaching is a performance. (Hooks, 1994; Fenstermacher & Richardson, 2005; Duckworth & Goodman in Hatton, 2005)

The act of teaching and learning involves at least two persons; one who teaches and one who learns (Fenstermacher & Richardson, 2005)

• Every day : act of multi-tasking

• Numerous initiatives : superficial acceptance and transfer, and don’t see the link

Issue

Our learning at teachers’ training or professional development sessions becomes a figment of our memory especially when it is not fully internalised through active transfer and visible activities, and when the link is not made.

Consequence

Six major sources that can account for the variance in students’ academic achievement:

• student (50% of the variance);• teachers (30% of the variance). • home (5 to 10% of the variance);• schools (5 to 10% of the variance);• peer effects (5 to 10% of the variance);• principals, (already accounted for under the

‘schools’ category);

John Hattie in Teachers Make a Difference: What Is the Research Evidence?(2003) (Stronge, 2010)

Literature Review

‘Effective school learning requires good teaching, and good teaching requires professionals who exercise judgements in constructing the education of their students’. (Porter and Brophy, 1988)

This judgement has to be supported by the whole professional knowledge base for teaching.

Implication

To present to teachers a reference (or ‘script’) depicting the link of the fundamental knowledge bases necessary in building their competencies surrounding a learner-centric environment.

As a reminder of the core of education of why we teach, what we teach and how we teach, as emphasised in the Teach Less, Learn More (TLLM) initiative, in raising the quality of teaching while engaging our learners’ hearts and minds to prepare them for life.

My Intention

 

 

 

 

LIFT

WEIGHT

THRUSTDRAG

Figure 1. Forces affecting the flight of an aircraft (Smithsonian Air and Space Museum)

Presentation of Findings

Desirable forces : Lift & Thrust(Enhance & accelerate performance)

Undesirable forces : Drag & Weight(Impede & hinder performance)

  *Better understanding of pedagogical content knowledge

(PCK) 

Opportunities for reflection 

Desirable class size - impact on marking load, quality of marking, monitoring of assignments and learning, relationship and character building

  Work-life harmony

  Sufficient time allocated for lesson observation by peer

or mentor with time for conference and reflection 

The desire to continue learning 

Knowledge of learning 

*Understanding the learner: dispositions, style of learning, cultural background/baggage

  Having good instructional leaders

  Purposeful professional development programmes

  *Understanding assessment, its forms and purpose

  Seamless integration of subjects (e.g. science and

literacy) 

School leaders as instructional leaders  

  Unsure of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)

  Resistance to assessment

Not sure of formative assessment 

Incomplete knowledge of the student as a learner 

Subject mastery/content knowledge 

Effectiveness of professional development programmes 

Leadership complement issue 

Clarity of leaders’ vision, drive, attitude and beliefs 

Self-concept (Attitude and beliefs of individual and the students)

  Availability of resources/technology

  Large teacher-student ratio

  Lack of time for planning and reflection

  Lack of time and opportunity to observe others in the

development of self (as peer) and others (as mentor) 

Salary issue

   

Curriculum knowledge

Content/Subject knowledge

 

Models of teaching and

learning

General pedagogical knowledge

Knowledge of learners

Knowledge of educational

contexts

Knowledgeof self

Knowledge of educational

ends

Pedagogical Content

Knowledge(PCK)

Figure 2. Adapted from Knowledge bases for teaching: the model (Turner-Bisset, 2001)

Knowledge Bases for Teaching

Pedagogical Repertoire of an Effective Teacher

Figure 3. Pedagogical repertoire (Turner-Bisset, 2001)

Aspect 1StrategiesActivitiesExamplesAnalogies

IllustrationsRepresentation

s 

Organisational strategiesWhole-classSplit-class

Large groupSmall group

PairIndividual

  

Aspect 3Acting skills and

strategiesVoice

Vocal animationBody language

Physical animationUse of space

HumourRole-play

Use of propsSurprise

SuspenseObserving children

 

To teachFacts

ConceptsSkills

ProcessesBeliefs

Attitudes

Aspect 2ApproachesStorytelling

Socratic dialogueDrama

Role-playSimulation

DemonstrationModelling

Problem-solvingSinging

Playing gamesKnowledge

transformationQuestion-and-

answerInstructingExplaining

Giving feedback 

Pedagogical Repertoire on a Foundation of Knowledge Bases

To teachFacts

ConceptsSkills

ProcessesBeliefs

Attitudes

Aspect 1StrategiesActivitiesExamplesAnalogies

IllustrationsRepresentations

 

Aspect 2ApproachesStorytelling

Socratic dialogueDrama

Role-playSimulation

DemonstrationModelling

Problem-solvingSinging

Playing gamesKnowledge transformation

Question-and-answerInstructingExplaining

Giving feedback 

Organisational strategies

Whole-classSplit-class

Large groupSmall group

PairIndividual

  

Knowledge BasesSubstantive knowledge, syntactic knowledge and beliefs about the subject

Curriculum knowledge and knowledge of educational endsModels of teaching and learning and general pedagogical knowledge

Knowledge of educational contextsKnowledge of self

Knowledge of learnersPedagogical content knowledge

 

Figure 4. Adapted from a pedagogical repertoire (Turner-Bisset, 2001)

Aspect 3Acting skills and

strategiesVoice

Vocal animationBody language

Physical animationUse of space

HumourRole-play

Use of propsSurprise

SuspenseObserving children

 

Others: Transformative,

Networked, etc.

The ‘Script’

Assessment&

Educational Ends (Goals, purposes & values) and Beliefs Curriculum Knowledge

& Beliefs

Content Knowledge & Beliefs

Pedagogical Content Knowledge

& Beliefs

Knowledge of Specific Contexts

(Subject & Environment)

Knowledge of General Educational Contexts

Knowledge of Learners and Learning & Beliefs

General Pedagogical Knowledge & Beliefs

Substantive(Knowing that)

Syntactic(Knowing how)

Instructional models & strategies

Classroom Communication

& Discourse

Classroom Management

& Organisation

Reflective practices

GenericCommunity

Empirical/Social Cognitive

Specific

Interests

Strengths

Self-Concept

Will & Effort

Models of Learning TheoriesAssessment

Formal Informal

Representations

Enactive

Iconic

Symbolic

Classroom

School

Home

Community

World

Country

Scope Purpose

Structure

Depth

Breadth

Balance

Figure 5. Adapted from Gess-Newsome and Lederman (1991), Moore (2000) and Turner-Bisset (2001)

Constructivist (Vygotsky, Piaget, Dewey, Bruner)

Behaviourist (Pavlov, Skinner, Watson)

Cognitive (Sweller, Mayer)

Motivation (Maslow, Keller)

Social Learning (Bandura)

Quality relationship

building

Bloom, Gagne, etc

Values

• Learning is guided by social interaction and strategies that evolve within the ‘process of doing’. (Moll, et al, 1992)

• The teacher holds the key in constructing an environment surrounding the learners that can support or impede this realisation.

• The knowledge bases of teachers guide and inform decisions to be made and actions to be taken.

Conclusion

Accountability is an ‘outside-in’ process while responsibility is an ‘inside-out’

process. (Powell, 2010)

UMD Faculty Members• Dr James Greenberg• Dr Letitia Williams• Dr Jim DeGeorge• Dr Diane Jass Ketelhut• Dr Linda Valli• Dr Margaret Anne Walker• Dr Ann Schweighofer• Megan, Beth, and Andy

All schools I have visited, in particular, Paint Branch Elementary; special thanks to Dr Teston, Mrs Harris, Mrs Hunt and Ms Flores.

The FHI360 family, and the U.S. Department of State, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Thank You’s

End